178 DELUDING A S1NECURIST. 



wrong at times. It requires the reasoning faculties to be 

 used to know these times and their application. As a 

 rule rough weather is the more favourable to a sunk <>: 

 wet fly, while bright and calm weather favours the dry 

 one. Indeed, if there be much ripple on, a dry fly can 

 hardly be maintained. 



It often happens that a fish will lie in some hole or 

 corner under overhanging bushes, where it would be im- 

 possible for the angler to put the fly over the fish by cast- 

 ing it directly to him; but let him not be discouraged 

 and pass the fish by. A trout usually rests where the 

 hang and eddy of the stream will give him the best chance 

 of the greatest amount of provender with the least amount 

 of trouble ; and very often the angler will see, by carefully 

 studying the spot, that by pitching a fly (dry perhaps is 

 beet) well above the fish, and letting the stream take it 

 where it will, the eddy will do for it what the angler could 

 not, and will at any rate bring it within sight. A fly thus 

 brought to a fish is almost certain to be taken, provided 

 you do nothing glaringly wrong ; because, in the first place, 

 the fish usually takes every fly, and pretty well every insect 

 that comes, and, secondly, he seldom or never sees an arti- 

 ficial fly in that spot. I know of nothing so agreeable in 

 fly-fishing as the outwitting one of these cunning old 

 stay-at-homes, who, having gotten to themselves good fat 

 places archidiaconal stalls, with only archidiaconal func- 

 tions attached to them fancy they have a vested interest 

 in them, and that they are to be safe sinecures for ever. 

 I once took five such fish in one morning on the Arrow, 

 jfnd they were all extra good fish, and not one of them 

 would many anglers have thought it worth trying for. It 

 was a bit of fishing which I felt rather proud of. Indeed, 

 a fish feeding in his lair or under a bank will always rise 

 and take far better than a fish in the open water in mid- 

 stream. Fish feeding in mid-stream, with no home or 



